Image by Aaron L

I’m not sure why this place hasn’t been written about before. Perhaps, it’s because its not located in a place you’d usually look. Unless you’re the kind of person who searches for bars 33 meters up in the air! BAM!

Gondolen has a bar with the best view in all of Stockholm. Although 33m doesn’t sound very impressive, please consider the fact that Stockholm city isn’t exactly filled with towering office buildings and skyscrapers worthy of King Kong’s attention. The bar is located in the bridge that connects the old Katarina Hissen (Katarina lift) and Mosebacke on Sodermalm.

The bartenders are professionals in red and white striped uniform. Cute right? And you’ll have a dazzling view over Gamla Stan and the rest of Sodermalm by the large windows on both sides of the bar. I would say the clientèle at the restaurant are locals and Swedish tourists who are slightly more mature (like a good wine, around 40 years old and up) but don’t let that stop you young travelers! Or maybe you kind of dig that? Youngsters nowadays…

Anyway the view and great cocktails make for a memorable night out in the city and when you’re feeling the need for a change of scenery just head over to Götgatan, which is a 5 minute walk from Gondolen and check out the indie bar scene like Bauer, Ljungrens (check the articles here & here) and Indigo (Götgatan 19). All hugely popular with the Stockholm locals.

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Gondolen | Bars
Stadsgården 6 | Södermalm | +4686417090
Mon – Fri 11:00 – 01:00, Sat 16:00 – 01:00

Copyrights Spotted by Locals Stockholm

Image by Tiki Room

You feel a whole mixture of excitement, curiosity and the slight need for a wee as you walk down the iron staircase of the average run-of-the-mill restaurant (that serves portions too small on plates too large) and enter the bar with bamboo covered walls, Tiki heads and bartenders in Hawaiian shirts. “Aloha!” you say, catching your balance after tripping on the last step.

The Tiki Room is located in the basement of Mellow, a slightly upscale restaurant located in St. Eriksplan. The bar serves up drinks inspired by Polynesian culture and are served in a Shrunken Skull. If you’re in the party mood you can order HAWAI’IAN LANAI (LAVA BOWL) which is made for 2-3 people to share. It’s served in a large bowl with Tiki heads surrounding it and a volcano in the middle with a flaming shot of sambuca. A must try!

The bar has the Polynesian theme running through everything. Retro tv, 50′s rock, red leather chairs and diner-esqeue sitting booths to through you back in time. The cocktails are great and the bartenders super friendly and can make you anything you want even if its not on the menu. Just tell them what sorta flavors you’re jonesin’ and consider it done.

Definitely one of my most unique find here in Stockholm city.

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The Tiki Room | Bars, Music
Birkagatan 10 | Vasastan | +468331555
Mon – Sat 16:00 – 01:00

Copyrights Spotted by Locals Stockholm

Image by Aaron L

Attention hungry tourist. Have you ever wanted to have 3 types of cheesecakes, a big fluffy marang, tiramisu, a large chicken salad and 17 types of tea all at the same time? Yes?! Me too! Add me on Facebook.

Cafe 60 in downtown Stockholm can offer all that and much, much more. It’s located on the corner of Sveavägen and past Stockholm’s iconic blue concert hall. I just have to stress this once more…imagine your average café, now take that café, force feed it horse vitamins and inject it with steroids and voila! You get Cafe 60.

A household name in many ways with the locals, Cafe 60 has definitely carved a place for itself in the heavily saturated fika industry of Stockholm. It has a huge variety of teas (up to 30 or more), an even larger selection of cakes, pastries and other things of that nature as well as king kong salads and an ample amount of seating both down and upstairs.

Besides being spoilt for choice, what makes Cafe 60 special is that it is one of very few cafes in Stockholm that are open past 00:00. So now let me ask that question again: Have you ever wanted to have 3 types of cheesecakes, a large fluffy marang, tiramisu, a large chicken salad and 17 types of tea all at the same time at 2 o’clock in the morning? If so, you know what to do.

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Cafe 60 | Coffee & tea
Sveavagen 60 | City/Norrmalm
Mon – Thu 07:00 – 00:00, Sat 09:00 – 02:00, Sun 10:00 – 00:00

Copyrights Spotted by Locals Stockholm

Image by Aaron L

Across from the godzilla (for Stockholm’s standards) department store, Åhlens there’s a great café/restaurant that serves up mean cinnamon buns and oreo cheesecakes. From the outside it seems like your typical tourist trap café/restaurant located in the middle of the city but what they offer inside is pretty quality stuff.

It’s a big place with café customers seated towards the front and the open kitchen and lunch/dinner crowd seated in the back. Bolero is a decent place to come for a fika after finishing your tour of Gamla Stan or having a light lunch before you take on the many H&M’s of Drottninggatan (my guide here).

In the evenings they serve tapas, which are delicious, tasty and quite big portioned. I know that kinda defeats the purpose of tapas but I ain’t complaining. All in all, Bolero Cafe gets a solid recommendation for those looking for a nice place to go for a coffee in the center of Stockholm city.

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Bolero Cafe | Coffee & tea, Restaurants (Intern.)
Klarabergsgatan 25 | City/Norrmalm
Mon – Fri 08:00 – 11:00, Sat 10:00 – 23:00, Sun 11:00 – 22:00

Copyrights Spotted by Locals Stockholm

Image by Aaron L

Fish and chips eat your heart out! Sweden’s version of the classic English favorite checks all the tasty boxes and comes up on top. Why is it better? First of all its Swedish, second, it’s healthier (it’s got some cucumbers…) and finally, it’s not covered in oily batter that’ll make you break out.

It is called nystekt strömming (freshly fried herring) and the best one you can find is a stall right outside on the square at Slussen subway station (Södermalmstorg). You can’t miss it. It’s been raved about by numerous publications and it’s equally popular with the locals as with the tourists. During the summers its not unusual to see a queue from the little kiosk window to…somewhere far from that little kiosk window. Anyway, humans are programmed to think that if there’s a queue, whatever it is, it’s gonna be good.

What you’ll be enjoying is the fried herring, some mashed potatoes of course and a special relish made of cucumber, radish and red onions. You’ll be able to choose a few variations: as a burger, a dish or in the old school way which is on a piece of knäckebrod a.k.a “Is that cardboard?” a.k.a brown Swedish hard bread.

It’s the perfect street snack before exploring Gamla Stan, the Royal Palace and/or the Stockholm’s City Museum which is right next to the stall. If you’re interested in more street food Stockholm has to offer, check out my article about Tunnbrödsrulle.

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Nystekt Strömming | Snacks | Main dish SEK 50
Södermalmstorg | Södermalm
Mon – Fri 10:00 – 19:00, Sat – Sun 12:00 – 17:00

Copyrights Spotted by Locals Stockholm

Image by Aaron L

House partay! That’s the kind of atmosphere you get at Judit och Bertil. Okay, I lied. It’s more of a ‘dinner-at-your-alcoholic- friend’s-place’ kinda feeling. Nonetheless, this two story restaurant and bar is the jewel of Hornstull, or as I call it – ma’ hood.

It’s located a minute from the subway station, right beside my dream apartment building and across the neighborhood gym. It’s definitely one of those places you go and you’re like, “I bet no other tourist in Stockholm has EVER been here…” and you’re sorta kinda right! Many of the people that frequent Judit oct Bertil are locals, more specifically those who live in Hornstull.

The main selling point for this place are two things: First and foremost, the ambiance; It’s laid back, cool and it oozes a sort of buzzing electricity that can only be comparable to being slightly tipsy. Secondly, it’s the unique and fresh take on cocktails that they have every week. Its recipes the bartenders come up with themselves and they are nothing short of amazing.

The bar downstairs is always crowded with people (especially on weekends) clinking their beer together and debriefing each other on the week’s events, while the couples upstairs enjoy their scrumptious saffron fish soups (a.k.a they serve Swedish food with a twist) whispering sweet nothings to their special lady/gentlemen/undecided. It’s the perfect background noise to a perfect relaxing night out in the best part of Stockholm’s söder district, Hornstull!

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Judit och Bertil | Restaurants (Swedish) | Main course SEK 150
Bergsundsstrand 38 | Södermalm | +4686693131
17:00 till late daily

Copyrights Spotted by Locals Stockholm

Image by Papercut Shop

On a quiet street, parallel to the busy traffic on Hornsgatan lies a few hip boutiques, one of them being Papercut. What you notice straight away is how spacious and open the place is and the wall covered with fashion magazines of all kinds and from all over the world from floor to ceiling.

It’s an awesome place to come browse and flip through books that aren’t sold in the huge book stores like Akademi Bokhandlen. At Papercut it’s not niched to a particular kind of genre, the books here range from cook books, to autobiographies, novels, fashion and art.

In addition to books and magazines, they have have a selection of music CD’s, DVD’s and movies. It’s definitely worth a swing by to check out what you can find. If you come out empty handed, walk a few meters along the street and you’ll find three small fashion boutiques catering to both men and women. Make sure to check out Nitty Gritty, a mens boutique/salon where you can find sportswear brands, indie labels and Swedish designers.

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Papercut | Art & culture, Music, Shopping
Krukmakargatan 24 | Södermalm | +468133574
Mon – Fri 11:00 – 18:30, Sat 11:00 – 17:00, Sun 12:00 – 16:00

Copyrights Spotted by Locals Stockholm

Image by Holger Ellgaard

Exercise and I have never been good friends. Especially during the winter months in Stockholm. It’s pretty bad… However, over the past year I have made an effort to increase the amount of exercise from nonexistent to minimal.

A great place that for a brisk winter walk is by Tantolunden or affectionately known by locals as ‘Tanto’. It’s a park located in Hornstull right by the water, which makes for beautiful scenery for a walk, jog or ‘jolk’.

However, what I really love about Tanto is Hobbit Land, a personal nickname that I gave the hill that’s absolutely jam packed with tiny huts and gardens. Basically in Stockholm, the locals who live in apartments can buy an area of land where they can grow fruits and veggies and erect miniature houses and sit there during the warmer months to enjoy their land. I know, so organic it’s sickening but I love it.

It’s a really fun and interesting walk and quite unique compared to the other walking trails in Stockholm city. As you make your way up the hill you pass by all sorts of miniature cottages, apple trees, rose bushes when finally you reach the top and come to absolutely breathtaking view over Hornstull, the water and over to Liljeholmen. I’m out of breath just writing about it… Whew!

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Tanto | Relaxing
Tantolunden | Södermalm
24 hours daily

Copyrights Spotted by Locals Stockholm

Image by Peppar AB

This article may seem a little late due to the photo but read on and you’ll find out that it’s actually Christmas at this bar/ restaurant all year long.

Peppar is crazy. I mean seriously, if you wanna have drinks with some friends at a really unique place this is it. It’s like no bar you’ll ever visit in Stockholm and perhaps the rest of the world. It is where Santa Claus and all his elves die and go to heaven.

Besides beers, cocktails and ciders, you can also order food. At Peppar they serve simple New Orleans themed dishes. The chili here is to die for! It’s a really cool and relaxed place to come to visit and definitely will make great holiday photos.

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Peppar | Bars
Torsgatan 34 | Vasastan | +468342052
Mon – Sat 17:00 – 01:00

Copyrights Spotted by Locals Stockholm

Image by Aaron L

Juke boxes, neon signs and milk shakes will take you back to the retro 50′s era here at Marion’s Gastro Diner. It’s the perfect place to host your bi-annual Grease Lightning themed party or go bowling with a bunch of friends and realize that you don’t need alcohol or David Guetta to have a good time! They do serve cocktails and beers here though, if your bowling is really not your thing.

Marion’s is a large American styled diner that serves up your typical diner type food. Hamburgers and pickles, baby back ribs and that classic chocolate milkshake. After dinner you can choose to go bowling to work off those calories. They’ve got super cool lanes lit up by neon and ultraviolet lights on both bottom and second floor and they’re really great for big groups and a fun afterwork session.

In all seriousness, it really is a refreshing take on a night out with friends. It could serve as a great pre-party place as it’s located walking distance from Stureplan (clubbing central! untz untz) and the 50′s style decor makes for great photos to upload on Facebook and tag the members of your family so they stop asking you if you actually have real friends… Story of my life.

Regardless! Bowling is 250kr/hour for one lane before 16:00 and 400kr from 16:00 till 01:00. Strike out now!

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Marion’s Gastro Diner | Bars, Restaurants (American)
Kungsgatan 37 | City/Norrmalm | +46854611000
Mon – Wed 11:00 – 00:00, Thu 11:00 – 01:00, Fri 11:00 – 2:00, Sat 13:00 – 02:00, Sun 13:00 – 00:00

Copyrights Spotted by Locals Stockholm